The Bill Gates Challenge, Part III: A New Hope

[Kodos]

Week 11
St. Louis (4-5) at Gatesville (7-2)
=============================================

Attendance: 42,700

Game Summary

With Diaz out for the rest of 2011, Rickey McGregor was forced back into the lineup, whether his stretched knee ligament had healed or not.

It started off bad, as Kurt Warner found Jerry Garcia (not the Grateful Dead one) for a 66-yard score that left us down 7-0. Berg capped a good drive with a 2-yard strike to Randle that tied the game at 7-7 with just under 6 minutes left in the first quarter. A minute and a half later, rookie cornerback Edgar Justus scored on a 24 yard interception return.

Joel Harden intercepted Warner on the Rams' next drive, and three plays later, Berg hit tight end Chuck Farley for a 7 yard score that made it 21-7.

Three times was definitely not a charm for Warner, as his first pass on their next drive found its way into free safety Dave Sanders' hands. One play later, fullback Levon Wallace ran it 32 yards to make it 27-7 (we didn't cry too much when we failed to convert on the extra point! ) after just one quarter of action.

Let's just say it never got better for the Rams, and we finished the day with a 51-17 victory.

Key Performers

Berg went 10/14 for 159 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 interception, as well as gaining 14 yards and 1 rushing score on 3 carries. Berg left the game in the second half with a minor injury.

Dexter McNeil went 8/16 for 79 yards and no TDs or Ints in place of Berg.

Randle made the most of 4 catches, scoring twice while gaining 75 yards on the day.

Nose tackle Joey Rhoades won the Game MVP award by recording 3 tackles, 2 assists, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 TD. Not a bad day!

=============================================
Dallas had a bye this week, and will face the Bucs in week 12.

[Kodos]

Week 12
Gatesville (8-2) at Des Moines (1-9)
=============================================

Game Summary

We came into this game thinking, if we can't win here, we should hang our heads in shame. Luckily, it didn't come to that, as we overcame a couple of fumbles and Berg won the Game MVP by going 15/21 for 252 yard and three scores en route to us winning by the score of 37-20.

New Injuries

Winning this game carried a hefty price tag, as Berg suffered a dislocated shoulder and will miss 3 to 5 weeks.

In addition, center Chuck Farmer suffered a sprained knee and will miss 2 weeks.

Stud rookie WR Ralph Randle has turf toe and is projected to miss 2 weeks.

Finally, backup RB Chuck Horton has a bruised sternum and will miss 3-5 weeks.

=============================================
Playoff Picture

As it sits right now, Arizona is the number one seed with a 10-1 record. Next comes Carolina at 9-2, and we are in third place, despite our identical 9-2 record. Atlanta trails us by one game at 8-3.

=============================================
Dallas at Tampa Bay

The Bucs proved to be poor hosts, as they beat the Cowboys handily, 30-16, dropping our unfortunate neighbors to 3-8. One more loss secures another losing season for Dallas, folks! Needless to say, next weekend, the Dolphins will be me & Bill's favorite team outside of Texas!

[Kodos]

Week 13
New England (6-5) at Gatesville (9-2)
=============================================

Attendance: 43,800

Key Inactive Players

Chuck Farmer, Ralph Randle, and Chuck Horton all sat out this game.

Game Summary

With Al Ingram continuing to struggle (just 33 tackles thus far), we decided to shift him to SOLB and move Cary Claiborne from SILB to MLB to see if we could take better advantage of Ingram's pass coverage skills.

Despite me & Bill's misgivings about Dexter McNeil's ability to perform in clutch situations, we gave him the start at QB in place of the injured Bergeron. McNeil responded by winning the Game MVP award while going 24/36 for 305 yards, 3 TDs, and, yes, 1 interception. The fact that we held the Patriots to just 79 rush yards and 69 pass yards might have had something to do with the 33-0 victory too, I suppose...

Key Performers

Tight end Chuck Farley proved to be one of McNeil's favorite targets, as he made 8 catches for 82 yards and 2 scores.

New Injuries

Backup center Blake Compton came up with a bruised shoulder, and could miss up to 2 weeks. Luckily, there is not that big a dropoff to our third center, Robbie Duncan.


=============================================
Playoff Picture

Atlanta and Carolina switch places, but we are still the #3 seed:

1. Arizona 11-1
2. Atlanta 9-2
3. Gatesville 10-2
4. Carolina 9-3

Next week we will pay a visit to 11-1 Arizona to see if we can't wrestle away that cushy first seed from their dirty little hands... Regular season games don't get much bigger than this one, folks. Cross your fingers, wear your lucky hats, rub your lucky rabbit's foot. We NEED this one bad!


=============================================
Miami at Dallas

Sadly, our beloved Dolphins failed us, dropping this one to the Cowboys 13-3. The Cowboys move up to 4-8, while we have to wait another week to pop open the champagne bottles here in Gatesville...

[Kodos]

Week 14
Gatesville (10-2) at Arizona (11-1)
=============================================

Game Summary

This game is CRUCIAL to us if we want to have any hope of winning the division or of getting a bye week in the playoffs, despite the fact that we have the second best record in the NFC. Of course, Arizona beat us 28-18 at home back in week 5, so it is obvious that we will need a great effort from our guys if we are to win this game.

The good news is that WR Ralph Randle is back from his injury. Our linebacker shuffle continues, as we now have Al Ingram at SOLB, Allen Whitfield at MLB, and Cary Claiborne at WOLB.

McNeil will get his second start in a row in place of Bergeron.

The game started off well, as McNeil hit Tracy Flowers for the first score of the game, and we led 7-0. After Arizona brought the score to 7-3 with a field goal, Rob Henry scored on an 8 yard run to give the Cards a 10-7 lead after one quarter of play.

Things started to go down hill further in the second quarter, as Marshall Brady hit Emmanuel Froggatt for an 86-yard score that had me & Bill fuming. After another field goal, we were down 20-7. To add injury to insult, Ralph Randle broke his tibia late in the quarter and is done for the season.

It looked pretty bad when Arizona took a 23-7 lead early in the third quarter, and the crowd was feeling quite happy with themselves. Two long Lazetti runs helped set up a 9-yard McGregor touchdown reception that wiped the smile off their faces and cut their lead to a manageable 23-14. After Hidalgo made a field goal of his own, it was a one-score game: 23-17. Do I smell an upset brewing, folks?

A bad punt led to another Arizona score, as Brady found Vinny Hanks this time for an 11 yard score, and we were down by two scores again, 31-17. Down, but not quite out.

McNeil capped a good drive by hitting Tracy Flowers for his second TD reception of the day, and it was 31-24 late in the game. Everyone in Arizona knew what was coming; the onside kick.

Unfortunately, the football gods did not smile down on us this particular Sunday, as the Cardinals recovered the kick safely, and proceeded to run out the clock on the game and on our hopes of a bye and a division crown.

New Injuries

In addition to the premature ending to Ralph Randle's rookie season, Allen Whitfield's knee requires surgery, and he will miss the rest of the season as well.

Solomon Page, our starting left guard, broke his finger, and will be back in time for the playoffs.

Key Performers

McNeil performed well once again, going 19/37 for 209 yards and 3 TDs. He also ran 10 times for 40 yards.

Lazetti had a good day, gaining 84 yards on 9 carries. It would have been much nicer if he could have found the endzone, of course.

Flowers pulled in 4 balls for 53 yards and 2 scores.

=============================================
Playoff Picture

The loss didn't cost us much in the playoff race besides the chance to be the number one seed. We are still the third seed:

1. Arizona 12-1
2. Atlanta 10-3
3. Gatesville 10-3
4. Carolina 10-3
5. Chicago 9-4


=============================================
Philadelphia at Dallas

The unbelievably bad Eagles squad dropped their second game of the year to Dallas, this time by the score of, yes, 6-3. The Cowboys are all about excitement!

Soooo, a team that was once a lovely 2-7 is now 5-8 on the season, and could still finish at a respectable .500. Somebody shoot me!

[Kodos]

Week 15
Philadelphia (2-11) at Gatesville (10-3)
=============================================

Attendance: 39,100 loyal fans attend. Boy, do we know how to pack 'em in or what?

Game Summary

Looking for revenge against Philly for giving Dallas not 1 but 2 wins this year, we unbelievably founnd ourselves trailing them 10-0 at the half. While I am not at libety to divulge what exactly he said in this forum, I can assure you that Coach Gibson kicked the team's collective ass at halftime, and that Bill & I kicked Coach Gibson's ass immediately following the conclusion of his little speech.

Michael Lazetti must not like the Fourth of July, because after the halftime fireworks, he came out with a vengeance, burning the Eagles with a 96-yard TD run early in the third quarter to bring our team back to life. By the end of the half, we had outscored Philly 31-7, and finished with a 31-17 win.

Key Performers

Maybe we should yell at Lazetti every week. All he did was carry the ball 22 times for 186 yards and 2 scores, and topped off this performance off with 5 catches for 65 yards. Game ball for Lazetti!

McNeil was solid, completing 17 of 30 attempts for 217 yards and a TD.

Dave Sanders made 6 tackles, 1 assist, and 2 interceptions.

New Injuries

Well, the mean ol' injury bug took another big chunk out of our ass again this week, as starting left tackle James Pond got a concussion and will not return for 2 weeks.

WR Todd Smith sprained his knee and will miss 2 weeks as well.


=============================================
Playoff Picture

Atlanta and Carolina flip-flopped places again this week.

1. Arizona 13-1
2. Carolina 11-3
3. Gatesville 11-3
4. Atlanta 10-4
5. Chicago 10-4


=============================================
Washington at Dallas

The Cowboys won another one this week, this time beating the Redskins 21-20. 6 and 8! What is going on here folks? Kodos is getting upset!

[Kodos]

Originally posted by Godzilla Blitz:


Tough loss against Arizona; nice recovery against Philly.

Be nice to get a bye for the first round of the playoffs, as your team sounds pretty beat up. I still think this could be the year, unless you hit a dominant running team in the playoffs.

[Kodos]

Originally posted by Vince:


Yeah..heartbreaker of a loss against AZ...just a hairsbreadth away. Looks like another good season...keep up the good work!

Seems to me in reading a few FOF Dynasties that Arizona is always a strong team...any method to this madness?

Good luck Kodos, in what I find to be an even nobler cause (if only slightly nobler) than even Godzilla Blitz's crusade against the Golden Dome. The 49er fan in me loves to see those Cowboys go down

[Kodos]

Hey Vince. I think I've read somewhere that the good coaches seem to be assigned based on alphabetical order, so 'zona is always good at the start. They certainly have been a pain in my ass these last few seasons. We'll get 'em some day though!

Thanks for your support, and keep up the good work with your dynasty! Don't let your injuries get the best of you!

[Kodos]

Week 16
Buffalo (10-4) at Gatesville (11-3)
=============================================

Attendance: 43,800

Inactive list

Kyle Diaz, Allen Whitfield, James Pond, and Ralph Randle will all sit this one out. Berg is still out, but could be back in a week or two, just in time for the playoffs.

Game Summary

We had fallen behind 10-0 in the early second quarter, when Dexter McNeil punched up a 62-yard touchdown pass to Rickey McGregor to make it a 10-7 ballgame. He found McGregor again before the end of the half to give us a 14-10 lead.

The third quarter was a defensive struggle, with neither team being able to muster a score. Early in the fourth, Buffalo QB Kyle Shore broke the scoreless streak when he hit Bart Gramentine for a 15-yard TD that put us behind once again, 17-14.

With 5:37 left to go, McNeil found Ricardo Dillon in the endzone to give us a three-point advantage, 20-17. Stunningly, Hidalgo missed the crucial extra point, and the lead stayed at 3. Now, instead of the Bills needing a touchdown to win the game, all they needed was a field goal to send the game into overtime.

With 28 seconds left in regulation, Fernando Walters chipped one in from 23 yards out, and just like that, it was tied at 20, and we were headed to OT.

In the extra quarter, neither team seemed to be able to manufacture a scoring drive, until, with just 3:19 left in overtime, Hidalgo redeemed himself with a 36 yarder to win the game and move us to 12-3 for the season.

Key Performers

Michael Lazetti put in a solid effort, gaining 103 yards on 18 carries.

McNeil was quite good, hitting on 21 of 33 passes for 279 yards and 3 scores.

Casey Singleton, filling in at MLB, had a great game, recording 11 tackles, 2 assists, and 3 sacks. Way to step up Casey! We didn't know you had that kind of game in ya!


=============================================
Playoff Picture

To rub a little salt in our wounds, Arizona managed to lose this week. If we had just beaten them back in week 14, we would be looking at the NFC East Championship and a first-round bye. Instead, we will be playing second fiddle in the East, and we will forced to play in the Wild Card round, barring a minor miracle.

1. Arizona 13-2
2. Atlanta 11-4
3. Gatesville 12-3
4. Carolina 11-4
5. Chicago 10-4-1


=============================================
Dallas at Richmond

The Cowboys continue the torture, this time winning 16-7. They are now 7-8, and one more win will give them a .500 season. They were 2-7, for cryin' out loud!

[Kodos]

Week 17
Gatesville (12-3) at Washington (6-9)
=============================================

Game Summary

Michael Lazetti outscored the Redskins 21-14 by himself in this easy 38-14 romp over our unfortunate divisional rivals.

Key Performers

Lazetti earned the Game MVP by carrying the ball 15 times for 138 yards and 2 TDs, while also catching 7 balls for 83 yards and a TD.

McNeil went 25/34 for 319 yards and 3 TDs. McNeil is having by far his best season to date, having thrown 17 touchdowns so far against just 1 pick in relief of Bergeron.

Tight end Chuck Farley had another good day, catching 8 passes for 98 yards and a score.

New Injuries

Tracy Flowers bruised his shoulder (surprise!) and Casey Singleton has a concussion. Both should be healthy in 2 weeks, but we will need both of them in 1 week.


=============================================
Playoff Picture

We are the runners-up to Arizona in the NFC East again this year. We will be the third seed in the NFC, despite having the second best overall record in the conference, by virtue of the fact that the two division winners with the best records get the bye, not the two teams with the best overall records. What a crock...

1. Arizona 14-2
2. Atlanta 12-4
3. Gatesville 13-3

We will host 11-5 Carolina in the Wild Card round.


=============================================
San Francisco at Dallas

Well it took them 5 tries, but the Cowboys finally managed to lose a game, 23-20, to secure a losing record for the 2011 campaign. Normally, me and Bill would have popped open a bottle of champagne, but we've got a playoff game to worry about. Thus, we'll leave the drinking to the fine folks in Dallas.

[Kodos]

2011 Playoffs
Wild Card Round
Carolina (11-5) at Gatesville (13-3)
=============================================

Attendance: To nobody's surprise, we fail to sell out for our playoff game, luring a meager 43,800 fans to Microsoft Stadium. The Cowboys can fill a stadium with a hole in the roof, and we can't sell out a playoff game to save our lives! Amazing!

Injury Report

Kyle Diaz is still recovering from his dislocated knee, and will be inactive for this game.
WR Tracy Flowers is questionable with a bruised shoulder, and WR Todd Smith is questionable with a sprained knee. Both will play, as we are in short supply at WR.
Linebacker Allen Whitfield is out after surgery on his knee.
Casey Singleton is probable with a concussion.
Berg's dislocated shoulder is still healing. McNeil will get the start, but Berg will come in if there is an emergency.

Game Summary

Just before the game, ESPN reported that my longtime friend and colleague Godzilla Blitz had been fired from his post as the head coach of Notre Dame football program. Like myself, many of our guys (some of them former Notre Dame players themselves) were shocked and disgusted by this miscarriage of justice. Coach Blitz had the Irish poised to go places where they've never even dreamed of going before, but now some short-sighted imbecile in the athletic department has ended his tenure there, and my most-admired and respected cohort is out of a job. I would offer him a position here in Gatesville in a heartbeat, but GB is destined for far greater things than being the third man in a two-man show. He needs to be the man calling the shots, not kowtowing to a hack like me.

We suited up for the game with Godzilla on our minds and anguish in our hearts.

After a decent first drive that stalled on the Carolina 24, Hidalgo hit a field goal and we were up early, 3-0. A second Hidalgo field goal extended the lead to 6-0.

Despite the fact that the Panthers seemed unable to do much of anything on offense in general, they did manage to put together one drive that ended in a field goal. 6-3.

Chuck Horton's touchdown run in the second quarter gave us a bigger lead, 13-3, and Gabe Sims, this year's fourth round pick, followed that up by running for 13-yard TD that extended our lead to 20-3 in the first half. Things were lookin' good!

In the second half, our good fortune continued, as reserve linebacker Marc Fairley blocked a punt and cornerback Kris Strong returned it for a touchdown! 27-3!

Carolina, trying to rally, cut into our lead when Berstein hit Montreuil for a 6 yard score, but we were still comfortably ahead, 27-11.

In the fourth period, Tracy Flowers reinjured his shoulder and left the game. However, we continued the drive, and eventually got the touchdown even with our receiving corp in a sad state.

A Dave Sanders interception set up a 19-yard Lazetti run that made the score 41-11 late in the fourth, and the all the scoring for the day was done. All day, Carolina had been in bad field position, and they never mounted a serious threat once we were ahead. All in all, we had a pretty easy victory to open the up the 2011 Playoffs. We can only hope it goes this well next week, when we travel to Georgia to visit the 12-4 NFC West champion Atlanta Falcons.

Key Performers

Dexter McNeil earned the Game MVP award by going 17/32 for 258 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. In a classy move, he sent his game ball to Coach Blitz in South Bend.

Lazetti had an quiet day, gaining 68 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries.

Cornerback Eddie Aber had 13 tackles in the game.

New Injuries

Backup LB Artie Houston, who was signed to help stem the tide of injuries at linebacker
earlier this season, requires knee surgery and will miss the rest of the season.

On to the Divisional Round we go!

[Kodos]

Originally posted by Godzilla Blitz:


Kodos: Thank Dexter for the game ball for me! Nice gesture!

Three games to go! Bring us some joy, Kodos! It's up to you!

[Kodos]

The Great QB Controversy of 2011!

Well, last week's hero, Dexter McNeil, finds himself smack dab in the middle of a QB controversy. Now that Berg is back to full health, do we start him because he is our QB of the future, or do we leave in McNeil, since he is on a hot streak? The fans are divided. Some say you don't take out a guy who is playing like McNeil is. Others point to his history of choking in big games. What is a meddling GM to do?

P.S. GB, Dexter says that he is glad you like it. Now, he just wants to win a Super Bowl trophy for you.

[Kodos]

Originally posted by Godzilla Blitz:


Humm,

Berg's a 13 by your scout, Dexter's a 12. No big difference there, but a slight edge to Berg.

Dexter gave me a game ball, so that is a point in his favor.

Dexter's 18 to 1 TD/int ratio is hard to ignore, so that's a point in his favor.

Berg ran the team to what was it, 7-1, before getting hurt? That's tough to ignore too. Point for him.

Let's see...add 'em up...2-2. Damn.

Tough choice.

Good luck.

There is always the Die of Doom...

Personally, I like Dexter, but please don't listen to me. I am not having a good week here. I'd be bummed if I messed up two anti-dynasties on one week.

[Kodos]

Originally posted by Vince:


I'd have to say you stick with McNeil...you can't argue with a streak like that, and what was it, 18 TDs to 1 INT? That's insane! Dexter gets my vote.

[Kodos]

Originally posted by revrew:


My rookie stud QB made the SuperBowl his first year. He choked. In his second year, my stud RB won SB MVP. In his third year, my young QB won SB MVP.

I suggest experience over talent when you face the best of the best. Gotta avoid mistakes in the big games.

[Kodos]

2011 Divisional Round
Gatesville (14-3) at Atlanta (12-4)
=============================================

Injury Report

WR Tracy Flowers' bruised shoulder was aggravated in the win over Carolina, and he is doubtful for this game.

Todd Smith's knee is better, and he is listed as probable.

Veteran WR Kyle Diaz is still recovering from the dislocated knee and is doubtful.
I would love to have his experience on the field today, but his body just isn't ready yet.

Linebacker Allen Whitfield is out. Artie Houston is on the injured reserve list now.

Game Summary

As mentioned earlier, we had a bit of a quarterback controversy coming into this game. Berg is our man of the future without question, but should he be our man against Atlanta? The consensus among the fans and the media was that McNeil should start, and with the aforementioned 18 TDs versus just 1 interception on the season, I was inclined to agree, despite his history of big chokes in big games. Thus, with some misgivings, I decided to start McNeil, and hoped for the best.

On the opening drive of the game, Michael Lazetti broke loose for a 48-yard touchdown scamper, and we were in business, 7-0. However, Atlanta quickly scored themselves, knotting the game up at 7 points apiece.

The first quarter ended with another score, as McNeil zipped a 23 yarder to Ricardo Dillon to regain the lead.

On the next drive, Atlanta drove methodically down the field, but ended up settling for a 30-yard field goal when the drive stalled, cutting our advantage to 14-10. The next two drives of the game ended in punts, one from us, and one from them. Unfortunately, on their punt, Gabe Sims fumbled, and the Falcons recovered the ball on our 35. A few plays later, Ackerman hit German for a 9-yard touchdown, and we were trailing for the first time, 17-14.

With four minutes remaining in the half, we started another drive. We moved right down the field, and the offense seemed to be hitting on all cylinders, right up to the moment where McNeil got picked off by Rebensdorf in the end zone, ruining our chance to go ahead before the half.

Still, it was only McNeil's second interception thrown this season. No need to be worried, right?

We started out the second half still trailing 17-14. On Atlanta's first possession, they managed to get a field goal. We answered by marching backward and punting. They quickly added another field goal. We were now down by two scores, 23-14, and things were not looking so good...

Again, we were stymied on offense, and again the Falcons scored on their possession, this time with an Ackerman to Ritchey pass. We were now trailing 30-14 with just 10:25 remaining in our season if we couldn't find a way to rally.

Though I left the decision to Coach Gibson, I secretly wondered to myself if we should maybe send in Berg at this point. McNeil had done nothing this half, and our offense could definitely have used a spark. Still, I didn't want to be a meddling GM like Jerry Jones, so I relied on Gibson's judgment. I watched from up above as Gibson gave McNeil a supportive slap on the butt and sent him in.

McNeil promptly threw another pick.

Atlanta did nothing with their possession, and we got the ball back, but precious time had passed. Again, McNeil got the nod, and this time he found Lazetti for a 42-yard score with 3:05 remaining in the game. With no other choice, we went for the always low-percentage two-point conversion, and we got it! We were not dead yet. 30-22. Just over 3 minutes were left.

The defense took the field knowing we needed a stop. We got it, as Atlanta settled for a 56-yard field goal attempt that fell short. The main problem was that there were now just 15 seconds left, and we were 61 long yards away from paydirt. We needed a miracle, and we needed it fast.

Remembering Lazetti's last reception for a score, McNeil went with the pass to Lazetti again, but this time it fell incomplete. There was now only time for one play left in the game.

As the clock hit zero in the fourth quarter, McNeil dropped back with the fate of our season literally in his hands, and launched the ball downfield to Lazetti, but, once again, the ball fell harmlessly to the ground. The game was over. We had lost, 30-22. We had, for the third straight time, made a Divisional Round exit from the playoffs. What was once merely a bad trend had now become a full-blown habit.

Bill was livid.

I was disgusted.

McNeil was distraught. We were too.

As I watched McNeil take off his sweat-soaked jersey in the locker room, I noticed Berg sitting there next to him, his jersey still the pristine white of player who hadn't seen the field on this particular day. I couldn't help but find myself wondering what would have happened if he had seen the field. I couldn't help but think that I maybe I had made the wrong decision...

For now, I realize that there will be other seasons, but frankly I'm tired of it never being this season. I'm tired of living in the future. I want to win now...

I want to win now.

Key Performers

Lazetti may have been part of a losing effort, but it wasn't due to a lack of effort on his part. He picked up 120 rushing yards on just 16 carries, including his 48-yard touchdown run. He also made 3 catches for 58 yards and another score.

McNeil was simply bad, completing just 13 out of 34 passes for 197 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 interceptions. Two huge, back-breaking, momentum-killing, season-ending interceptions. The one I will always remember is the misfired pass in the end zone that could have had us leading 21-17 at the half, instead of trailing 17-14.

So, for now, another season in Gatesville is over. We'll be back next year, but right now that seems like a long way off.

Right now, that seems like forever.

[Kodos]

2011 Playoffs Continued

In one way, the loss to Atlanta may have been a small blessing for us. At least it spared us the agony of yet another ass-whipping at the hands of Arizona, who disposed of the Falcons 17-14 in the NFC Championship game, after having romped over Minnesota, 37-6, in the Divisional Round.

On the AFC side, the Bungles ( ) advanced after a shoot-out victory over the Bills, 41-35, in the Divisional Round, while K.C. crushed Tennessee 28-0 to reach the Conference Championship game. In the AFC Championship, the Bungles beat K.C. in a low-scoring game, 14-12.

[Kodos]

2011 Super Bowl

In a Super Bowl that pitted the 12-5-1 Bungles against the 16-2 Cardinals, Arizona came out on top, winning 30-17, to cap off one of the better seasons I've ever seen a team have. All I can do is look up to our division rivals in admiration (and disgust).

Super Bowl MVP

Benjamin Crosby, a defensive end, won the Super Bowl MVP award by recording just one tackle and one assist. Oh, and four sacks too.

NFL MVP

Mark Harper, running back for the ill-fated Titans squad, garnered the NFL MVP award based on 351 carries for 1576 yards and 13 TDs, as well as 36 catches for 292 yards and 1 TD. It'd sure be nice if Lazetti would get stats like that, not to take anything away from Lazetti of course...

[Kodos]

Originally posted by Godzilla Blitz:


This has truly been a bad week. It will end soon. Thank goodness.

[Kodos]

Originally posted by Shorty3281:

Originally posted by Godzilla Blitz:
This has truly been a bad week. It will end soon. Thank goodness.

You made me chuckle ehehe

I anxiously wait the next season: Is McNeil now considered trade bait?

[Kodos]

Hey Shorty, to determine McNeil's status as trade bait (or not), please consider the following equations:

Any player who is considered to be the best player at his position = Not an option to trade

Our best our player at quarterback = Devin Bergeron


After careful thought, you may be able to deduce the probability of McNeil being used as trade bait.

[Kodos]

2011 Final Standings

Well, for the second year in a row, we finished second in the ol' NFC East to the Arizona Cardinals. However, it is also the third straight year that we have finished ahead of the Cowboys, dating back to 2009.

 NFC East               W   L   T   Pct   PF    PA    Div     Conf  

Arizona                 14  2   0   .875  386   225   7-1-0   10-2-0    

**Gatesville            13  3   0   .813  474   297   6-2-0   10-2-0    

Dallas                  7   9   0   .438  249   316   3-5-0   5-8-0     

Washington              6   10  0   .375  285   305   2-6-0   5-7-0     

Philadelphia            4   12  0   .250  191   335   2-6-0   4-9-0     

   

 NFC Central            W   L   T   Pct   PF    PA    Div     Conf  

Chicago                 10  5   1   .656  329   273   6-2-0   8-4-0     

Minnesota               9   7   0   .563  278   261   4-4-0   6-7-0     

Detroit                 7   9   0   .438  340   353   4-4-0   6-6-0     

Tampa Bay               5   11  0   .313  251   320   2-6-0   5-8-0     

Green Bay               4   12  0   .250  340   327   4-4-0   4-8-0     

   

 NFC West               W   L   T   Pct   PF    PA    Div     Conf  

Atlanta                 12  4   0   .750  371   257   9-1-0   10-3-0    

Carolina                11  5   0   .688  351   248   8-2-0   10-3-0    

St. Louis               7   9   0   .438  296   377   5-5-0   7-6-0     

San Francisco           7   9   0   .438  346   343   4-6-0   5-8-0     

Richmond                5   11  0   .313  202   297   4-6-0   4-9-0     

New Orleans             3   13  0   .188  219   408   0-10-0  2-11-0 

  

 AFC East               W   L   T   Pct   PF    PA    Div     Conf  

Buffalo                 10  6   0   .625  360   334   7-3-0   9-4-0     

New York                10  6   0   .625  311   261   7-3-0   8-5-0     

Miami                   10  6   0   .625  316   272   7-3-0   8-5-0     

New England             9   7   0   .563  316   266   6-4-0   8-5-0     

Indianapolis            5   11  0   .313  291   361   3-7-0   4-9-0     

Des Moines              1   15  0   .063  255   394   0-10-0  0-13-0    

   

 AFC Central            W   L   T   Pct   PF    PA    Div     Conf  

Cincinnati              10  5   1   .656  325   298   8-1-1   10-2-1    

Tennessee               10  6   0   .625  304   234   6-4-0   8-5-0     

Pittsburgh              10  6   0   .625  375   305   6-4-0   7-6-0     

Baltimore               7   8   1   .469  318   331   2-7-1   5-7-1     

Cleveland               7   9   0   .438  310   331   5-5-0   6-7-0     

Jacksonville            6   10  0   .375  285   341   2-8-0   3-10-0    

   

 AFC West               W   L   T   Pct   PF    PA    Div     Conf  

Kansas City             12  4   0   .750  365   277   8-2-0   11-2-0    

San Diego               10  6   0   .625  401   357   7-3-0   8-5-0     

Wichita                 9   7   0   .563  381   297   6-4-0   7-6-0     

Denver                  8   8   0   .500  389   379   4-6-0   5-8-0     

Seattle                 8   8   0   .500  324   383   4-6-0   6-7-0     

Oakland                 4   11  1   .281  243   414   1-9-0   3-10-0    

[Kodos]

2011 Individual Stats

QBs

Here are McNeil's stats for 2011, and ain't they pretty?! Apparently, he saves his interceptions for the post-season!

Name                  Tm  GP  GS  Att   Comp  Pct   Yards Avg   Lg

McNeil, Dexter        GTV 9   6   245   148   60.4  1748  7.13  62

Bergeron, Devin       GTV 10  10  289   177   61.2  2241  7.75  90

Name                  TD    Int   Sack  Yards Rate

McNeil, Dexter        17    1     7     42    103.5

Bergeron, Devin       15    6     16    99    94.0 

RBs

Well, Lazetti puts up respectable numbers, but he is pretty much it for us at running back. Horton has a slightly better per carry average, but Lazetti is our guy.

Name                  Tm  GP  GS  Att   Yards Avg   Lg    TD

Lazetti, Michael      GTV 15  15  235   1104  4.6   96    8       

Horton, Cedric        GTV 12  1   60    292   4.8   61    1       

Wallace, Levon        GTV 16  16  64    234   3.6   32    3       

McNeil, Dexter        GTV 9   6   46    181   3.9   21    2       

Bergeron, Devin       GTV 10  10  44    154   3.5   15    3       

Receivers

Ralph Randle had himself a pretty solid year for a rookie, methinks! Notably, Lazetti is also one of our top receivers. And that my friends is why he is our unquestioned starter at the RB position.

Name                  Tm  GP  GS  Ctch  Yards Avg   Targ  CtPct

Randle, Ralph         GTV 12  12  62    783   12.6  98    63.2    

Flowers, Tracy        GTV 16  12  40    597   14.9  72    55.5    

Lazetti, Michael      GTV 15  15  40    560   14.0  50    80.0    

Farley, Chuck         GTV 13  13  41    452   11.0  65    63.0    

McGregor, Rickey      GTV 14  2   34    445   13.0  55    61.8    

Smith, Todd           GTV 13  2   31    368   11.8  56    55.3    

Diaz, Kyle            GTV 9   4   29    302   10.4  59    49.1    

Dillon, Ricardo       GTV 12  0   20    197   9.8   35    57.1    

Wozniczka, Leslie     GTV 16  3   9     106   11.7  12    75.0    

Name                  Lg    TD    YAC   Drop  PsPly TgPct

Randle, Ralph         57    4     342   8     351   27.9    

Flowers, Tracy        42    3     264   6     303   23.7    

Lazetti, Michael      90    5     373   2     278   17.9    

Farley, Chuck         46    4     171   5     235   27.6    

McGregor, Rickey      62    6     198   2     273   20.1    

Smith, Todd           34    3     204   4     272   20.5    

Diaz, Kyle            28    3     173   2     238   24.7    

Dillon, Ricardo       22    1     124   2     186   18.8    

Wozniczka, Leslie     17    2     36    1     72    16.6    

Defenders

What is up with Al Ingram? His production is wayyyyyy down. I am dumbfounded that the mostly talentless safety Billy Joe Shannon led the team in tackles, but I guess our linebacking corps(e) wasn't that healthy this year...

Name                  Tm  GP  GS  Tckl  Asst  Sack  Blk   Hurr

Shannon, Billy Joe    GTV 16  15  73    27    0.0   0     0       

Sanders, Dave         GTV 16  16  67    29    0.0   0     0       

Harden, Joel          GTV 16  16  59    13    0.0   0     0       

Ingram, Al            GTV 15  15  54    22    1.0   1     2       

Claiborne, Cary       GTV 16  16  53    20    3.5   0     0       

Whitfield, Allen      GTV 13  13  52    19    0.0   0     0       

Singleton, Casey      GTV 16  10  45    18    3.0   1     1       

Justus, Edgar         GTV 16  16  41    9     1.0   0     0       

Rhoades, Joey         GTV 16  16  40    15    6.0   5     7       

Aber, Eddie           GTV 14  1   38    4     0.0   0     0       

Name                  RnPly PsPly PRPct TkPct

Shannon, Billy Joe    359   499   0.0   11.6    

Sanders, Dave         347   500   0.0   11.3    

Harden, Joel          327   451   0.0   9.2     

Ingram, Al            270   347   1.1   12.4    

Claiborne, Cary       304   373   0.9   11.2    

Whitfield, Allen      199   233   0.0   16.4    

Singleton, Casey      228   273   1.8   13.1    

Justus, Edgar         340   471   0.2   6.2     

Rhoades, Joey         358   519   3.4   6.9     

Aber, Eddie           110   230   0.0   12.3    

Pass Defense

Dave Sanders and Joel Harden were the rocks of our secondary once again.

Name                  Tm  GP  GS  Ints  IRYd  TD    Cght  Dfns

Harden, Joel          GTV 16  16  4     38    0     32    16      

Sanders, Dave         GTV 16  16  6     74    0     36    11      

Bryant, Heath         GTV 16  0   1     20    0     4     0       

Ingram, Al            GTV 15  15  0     0     0     21    7       

Justus, Edgar         GTV 16  16  3     32    1     31    2       

Aber, Eddie           GTV 14  1   1     54    0     16    2       

Strong, Kris          GTV 16  0   1     33    0     9     0       

Shannon, Billy Joe    GTV 16  15  2     32    0     41    5       

Name                  PsPly PDQ

Harden, Joel          451   47.4    

Sanders, Dave         500   44.0    

Bryant, Heath         55    40.0    

Ingram, Al            347   26.0    

Justus, Edgar         471   25.5    

Aber, Eddie           230   24.7    

Strong, Kris          126   24.7    

Shannon, Billy Joe    499   23.8    

[Kodos]

2011 Individual Awards

Broderick Hidalgo received All-Pro 1st Team honors at PK based on his going 36 for 38 on field goals this year, with his longest kick coming from 54 yards out. He also went 46 for 49 on P.A.T.s. Incidentally, his 36 field goals makes him the all-time record holder for FGs in a season. Way to go, Broderick, even if this is one of the less-desirable records to own, since it basically means lots of red-zone failures...

Levon Wallace received 1st Team honors at fullback this season. He had 64 carries for 234 yards and 3 TDs.

Chuck Farley earned 2nd Team recognition at tight end for making 41 catches for 452 yards and 4 TDs.

Joel Harden got 2nd Team honors at cornerback.

This was our most successful season in terms of individual awards, but I can't help but feel empty after our loss to Atlanta.

By the way, remember Jackie Tuten? He is now with New England, and he earned 1st Team honors at defensive tackle based on a 58 tackle/9 sack season.

[Kodos]

2011 Season Final Team Ratings:

Season Ending Power Ratings:
Gatesville: 77
Dallas: 52

Team Rankings for 2011 Season

Well, we accomplished some things on offense this year that should help silence some folks like Mike Wallace in the media. Our offense was by far the most productive unit in the league this year points-wise, as we scored 474 points. San Diego was the second highest scoring team, but they notched a relatively paltry 401 points.

While neither our passing nor our rushing offense ranked number one, combined our offense gained the most yardage in the league, 6145 total yards (2156 rushing, 3989 passing). Denver was second overall with 6003 yards gained (1572 rushing, 4431 passing). So, while we aren't yet the most powerful offense in the history of the league, we were the best offense in 2011.

As many folks speculated early on, the Run D did, in fact, suck this year. But overall, our defense did pretty well, especially the secondary, who didn't give up too much yardage, and managed to get us a good number of take-aways.

Rushing offense   5th   2156 yds

Passing offense   2nd   3989 yds

Rushing defense   22nd  1758 yds

Passing defense   8th   3191 yds

Sacks             34th    23

Interceptions     10th    18

Turnover margin   3rd    +11 

Points scored     1st    474 

Points allowed    11th*  297

* 3 way tie

[Kodos]

2011 Franchise Info

Attendance

Hmmmmm. Our attendance percentage went up 7.1%, while theirs went down 4.3%. Exxxxxxxxxxxxxxcellent, Mr. Smithers!

          Gatesville           Dallas

       Attend.  %Attend.  Attend.  %Attend. 

2006*  35,700     45.7    56,900     86.6

2007   35,400     59.7    55,400     84.3

2008   36,200     61.1    55,500     84.4

2009   38,200     64.5    59,300     83.7**

2010   35,400     59.7    61,800     87.2

2011   39,600     66.8    58,700     82.9

* Our last season in New York.
** Dallas' first year with their renovated stadium.

Fan Support

Again, nice progress, but I ask you: Where’s the damn loyalty, folks?!?

            Gatesville                   Dallas

     Fan loyalty  New stadium   Fan loyalty  New stadium 

2008       0            0            63          0     

2009       0            8            56          0

2010       0            16           45          0

2011       0            26           36          0

2011 Profits/Losses

Nice progress on both sides of the ball here.

        Gatesville      Dallas

2006  -$111,860,000  +$26,700,000

2007  -$158,340,000   +$1,270,000

2008  -$156,020,000  -$14,750,000

2009  -$175,240,000  +$64,470,000

2010  -$216,300,000  +$52,820,000

2011  -$174,590,000   -$5,030,000

2011 Franchise Values

Yesssssssssssssss!

       Gatesville              Dallas

2007  $515,700,000  (28th)  $614,790,000  (9th)

2008  $537,350,000  (29th)  $576,170,000  (22nd)

2009  $546,000,000  (29th)  $539,500,000  (31st)

2010  $590,860,000  (29th)  $654,660,000  (17th)

2010  $616,350,000  (20th)  $595,290,000  (26th)

Table Of Losses Through 2011

A little bit closer to the crucial $10 billion mark.

Season  Team Losses

2000     $620,000,000

2001       18,000,000

2002       14,000,000

2003      134,600,000

2004      169,300,000

2005      122,100,000

2006    6,731,700,000

2007      158,300,000

2008      156,000,000

2009      175,200,000                    

2010      216,300,000

2011      174,600,000

Total  $8,690,100,000

[Kodos]

Gatesville & Dallas Yearly Records/Final Division Ranks

Well, a couple final charts to wrap up the 2011 season, and then I'll go. It may cheer up you to know that Dallas has had just 3 winning seasons since we started this little venture, with the last one coming in, get this: 2003! That rocks! Their streak of crapulence is goin' on ten years, people!

Also, since we moved to Gatesville back in 2007, our regular season record is 50-30. Dallas, on the other hand, is 30-50! Oooooh, me so happy! I think we are really makin' progress in our little endeavour here. Things are comin' together, slowly but surely! If we can just get some loyal fans to join us and fill our stadium! If only! Maybe then we could start to think about turning a profit some year! (Okay, realistically, this won't happen until we can get a new stadium, but maybe we could at least start losing less!)

           NYG        Dallas

Season  Rec.  Div.  Rec.  Div.

2000     8-8    3rd    8-8   2nd

2001     5-11   5th    9-7   2nd

2002     1-15   5th    10-6  1st

2003     2-14   5th    11-5  3rd

2004     4-12   5th    8-8   3rd

2005     4-12   5th    6-10  4th

2006     7-9    5th    8-8   3rd

           GTV        Dallas

2007     9-7    4th    2-14  5th

2008     6-10   5th    8-8   4th

2009     12-4   1st    7-9   4th

2010     10-6   2nd    6-10  4th

2011     13-3   2nd    7-9   3rd

Gatesville vs. Dallas Head-to-Head

Over the last 5 seasons, things have gone quite well head to head with Big D, as we have won 8 out of the last 9 showdowns, as well as 8 out of 10 since moving to Gatesville. This is commonly referred to as "DOMINATION", folks! We're kicking their pathetic, Jerry-Jones-lovin' butts!

Season  Gm  Winner  Score  Record



2000     1    NYG     38-21    1-0

2000     2    DAL     36-7     1-1

2001     1    NYG     21-13    2-1

2001     2    DAL     38-21    2-2

2002     1    DAL     34-3     2-3

2002     2    DAL     22-6     2-4

2003     1    NYG     30-27    3-4

2003     2    DAL     35-7     3-5

2004     1    NYG     26-16    4-5

2004     2    DAL     41-17    4-6

2005     1    DAL     22-21    4-7

2005     2    DAL     31-16    4-8

2006     1    NYG     24-17    5-8

2006     2    DAL     27-17    5-9

===================================

2007     1    DAL     29-18    5-10

2007     2    GTV     36-10    6-10

2008     1    GTV     30-10    7-10

2008     2    GTV     18-15    8-10

2009     1    GTV     19-8     9-10

2009     2    GTV     14-13    10-10

2010     1    GTV     27-17    11-10

2010     2    DAL     20-16    11-11

2011     1    GTV     29-14    12-11

2011     2    GTV     49-28    13-11   

Well, that's all I've got. See you all in 2012. Could it be the year that we finally go all the way? I sure hope so! See you then!

- Kodos

[Kodos]

Originally posted by revrew:


The fan loyalty thing is freaky wierd. What's the theory on why no one likes the Pirates? I don't think a poor stadium dips a winning team to 0. But then, what was the "wants a new team" rating before moving to Gatesville? And does that make a difference?

[Kodos]

Hmmmm. Don't quite remember, but it must have been pretty decent if I was able to move a team there in the first place. And these fans, who don't feel any loyalty to my team, are getting more and more happy to buy me a new stadium. I don't get it!

[Kodos]

I looked back in the Part I of this dynasty and found this:

"What gives us a glimmer in our eyes is their desire for a new team -- a healthy 70th percentile ranking! We can work with this!"

Soo, they were in the 70th percentile I guess. Not that bad...

[Kodos]

Originally posted by revrew:


Kodos, I think you ~may~ have found your tripping element. When my Texans were planted in Houston, they had a 100 want team rating. It took three years and an AFC championship to move their fan loyalty rating over 25. It took back-to-back SuperBowl wins to move it over 40. If bumping up the loyalty is so hard with a 100, I wonder if 70 isn't so "healthy" afterall?

Any vets studied this?

[Kodos]

The ironic thing is that they are possibly willing to help me build a bigger stadium, even though I have never even come close to selling out the smallest stadium in the league, even during playoff games. It seems like loyalty should go up before willingness to build a new stadium. But maybe that's just me. "Sure, we'll build you a stadium - just don't expect us to come to it!"

[Kodos]

Originally posted by Vince:


Man, yesterday was such a crappy day. Between the Yankees and the Gatesville loss, I couldn't have picked a worse sports day. Next year, kodos...next year.

[Kodos]

Let's hope so. I need to win bowls to win fans!

[Kodos]

2012 Offseason

Coach/Scout News

Coach Ratings

Well, I figured that it's about time to update you on how Coach Jerry Gibson and Lead Scout Cory Wells are rated these days. We hired Gibson to be offensive-minded, and he has not disappointed us. Bill and I wish he was better at avoiding costly injuries, but overall, we are quite satisfied with him. He is now 58 years old, so hopefully he is not thinking of retiring for the foreseeable future. His record is 67-66, but a lot of those losses came in the rebuilding years.

QBs            - Excellent 

RBs            - Very Good

WRs            - Excellent

OL             - Excellent

DL             - Good

LBs            - Good

Secondary      - Excellent

Kickers        - Excellent

Young talent   - Good

Motivation     - Very Good

Discipline     - Good

Off. Playcall  - Excellent

Def. Playcall  - Fair

Avoid Inj.     - Good

Scout Ratings

Cory Wells, with the exception of his firing and subsequent re-hiring, has been with us for many moons now. His record (79-88) is unimpressive due to the rebuilding years, but we think he does a pretty damn good job. He is now 46 years old, so he should be around for a long time to come, especially since he'll be earning $1 million a year for the next 5 years.

QBs                - Very Good

RBs                - Very Good

WRs                - Very Good

OLs                - Very Good

Kickers            - Very Good

DLs                - Fair

LBs                - Very Good

Secondary          - Good 

Young talent       - Very Good 

Ticket Prices

We decided to undercut Dallas' ticket prices by 10% this year.

                 Dallas   Gatesville

Upper Deck           61        55

End Zone             63        57

Mezzanine            82        74

Sidelines           127       114

Seat Licenses         0         0

Club Seats            0        *0

Luxury Boxes    158,000       *--

 

* Microsoft Stadium has none

Bill and I look forward to 2022, when we can finally try to enhance Microsoft Stadium, or better yet, start from scratch and build Microsoft Stadium, Version 2.0. Until then, we will continue to play in the second smallest stadium in the league (Yes, Cincy's is even smaller than ours).

[Kodos]

2012 Free Agent Period

Franchise Tag

Once again, we opted not to use our franchise tag this year.

The Dexter McNeil Saga ends?

Well, McNeil is coming off the best year of his career, having thrown 17 TDs versus just 1 pick in the regular season. However, he added to his reputation as a choke-artist by throwing 2 picks in our playoff game versus Atlanta. While he is a great backup QB, we won't be able to afford him when he becomes a free agent after this season. Knowing that, Bill and I decided that we should get some value out of McNeil by trading him now, rather than letting him leave through free agency next year.

After shopping him around, it appeared that Tennessee, New England, and Cleveland had the most interest in McNeil. However, Richmond, who expressed significant interest in McNeil as well, were the owners of the 6th overall pick in this year's draft, so we struck a deal with them instead of the others. In exchange for their first round pick in this year's draft, we sent Dexter McNeil and declining guard Solomon Page. Thus ended the Dexter McNeil Saga in Gatesville.

Cowboy Hunting in 2012

Part of the reason we were so willing to part with Page, our starting LG, was that we knew 7th year guard Rusty Pleasant was waiting to be picked off from the Cowboy's roster. After all, our philosophy concerning our neighbors is simple: They grow 'em, we harvest 'em. And what a harvest Pleasant would be, with run blocking ratings of 91/95, pass blocking ratings of 88/91, and an endurance rating of 85.

Our initial offer to Rusty was $26.95 million over 4 years with a $6.5 million bonus, but we got scared after he didn't sign early and gave him a revised $27.5 million/4 year offer with a $5.5 million bonus. After round 6, he finally signed, and we breathed a sigh of relief!

We also tried to woo cornerback Joel Flannery, but he ended up re-signing with Dallas for significantly less after round 11. Oh well, we got our main man! Flannery would have merely been the extra point after the touchdown (not even a 2 point conversion).

With Cowboy hunting season over, we went about re-signing and renegotiating some of our own guys.

We looked to solidify our line for the next few years by re-negotiating contracts with RG Darren Cruise ($15.42 million, 3 years, $4.05 million bonus) and LT James Pond ($27.81 million, 4 years, $5.05 million bonus). Fullback Levon Wallace cashed in on his 1st Team honors with a 3 year/$8.55 million deal that included a $1 million bonus. Joey Rhoades, who was for all intents and purposes our entire defensive line last season, was rewarded with a 4 year/$28.02 million deal with a $2.7 million bonus.

Jerry Jones Makes An Offer We Can't Refuse... Yeah, Right!

Jerry called us the other day with a wonderful offer. In exchange for Berg, our franchise QB, they were willing to give us the 11th pick overall in this year's draft and some high-priced-yet-crappy defensive end. Just tell us: Where do we sign, Jerrrrrrry?!? Jackass!

[Kodos]

2012 Draft

This year's draft looked to be heavy on talent at the wide receiver position, and we wanted to grab some of that talent with our grubby little hands. Our top choice was Oliver Delcorio, a WR out of Oregon state with some impressive numbers to his credit. But, regretabbly, Oakland took him one pick ahead of us with the number five overall pick. Up next at position six, we took Earl Thornton, a 6'1" receiver who hailed from Arizona and whose consensus rating was 6.4/7.8. We debated choosing Reggie Andrews, a 6'0"/234 pound linebacker from A&M rated at 4.9/7.8, but ultimately decided that offense was our priority and that Thornton was our man. We hoped that Andrews might slide down to our second first-round pick (number 28), but he went to Jacksonville with pick number 10.

2012 Draft Summary

We ended up taking two receivers in the first round, with Ty Robbins acting as bust-insurance for Thornton. Morris Ellison was drafted to back up Berg now that McNeil has a new home in Richmond.

Rnd 1 - Earl Thornton, WR, Arizona 

Rnd 1 - Ty Robbins, WR, Arizona State  

Rnd 2 - Morris Ellison, QB, Arizona State  

Rnd 3 - Bubba Linquist, C, Temple  

Rnd 4 - Ed Ferguson, CB, Texas Christian  

Rnd 5 - Timothy Meadows, LB, Prairie View A&M  

Rnd 6 - Malcolm Pearl, DT, Southern Methodist  

Rnd 7 - Dixon Gerrity, G, SW Missouri St.  

Post Draft Dealings: Damn the Salary Cap!

The salary cap was a huge factor for us this offseason. To open up some much-needed cap room, we sent Phil Singleton, our starting ROLB from last year, to Cleveland in exchange for their third round pick in 2013, thus saving ourselves $4.3 million against the cap. It was tough to send a starter away, but we were not confident that he could return to form after last season's knee injury. We saved another $1.52 million by releasing punter Lincoln Shah. WR Ricardo Dillon (plus a seventh round pick) was sent to Arizona for their fourth round pick in 2013, though some in the media questioned the intelligence of sending any help to our NFC East nemesis. However, we figured that Dillon wasn't a starter, and that we were saving $990,000. Backup guard Dale Westbrook was sent to Buffalo for their fourth round pick in 2013 (savings: $850,000). Backup QB Randall Collier was packaged with a sixth round pick and traded with Buffalo for their third round pick in 2013, saving us $670,000. Finally, to complete the trifecta, backup RB Donnie Videl was shipped to Buffalo in exchange for their fifth round pick in 2013, saving our team $850,000 in the process. Here's hoping the Bills have a really bad year so that we get some high draft picks in 2013!

With a little more money now available in the coffers, we extended free safety Dave Sanders' deal, giving him $13.39 million over 3 years with a $2.2 million bonus. Chuck Farley, fresh off of his 2nd Team nod in 2011, got $11.41 million over 3 years with a nice $2.2 million bonus.

Godzilla Blitz exacted just a little bit of revenge this offseason, as our only Golden Domer from 2011, WR Todd Smith, was not re-signed. Go find somewhere else to play, Todd, before we re-sign you and turn you into a lineman! - Thhhhhppppppttt!
2012 Draft

This year's draft looked to be heavy on talent at the wide receiver position, and we wanted to grab some of that talent with our grubby little hands. Our top choice was Oliver Delcorio, a WR out of Oregon state with some impressive numbers to his credit. But, regretabbly, Oakland took him one pick ahead of us with the number five overall pick. Up next at position six, we took Earl Thornton, a 6'1" receiver who hailed from Arizona and whose consensus rating was 6.4/7.8. We debated choosing Reggie Andrews, a 6'0"/234 pound linebacker from A&M rated at 4.9/7.8, but ultimately decided that offense was our priority and that Thornton was our man. We hoped that Andrews might slide down to our second first-round pick (number 28), but he went to Jacksonville with pick number 10.

2012 Draft Summary

We ended up taking two receivers in the first round, with Ty Robbins acting as bust-insurance for Thornton. Morris Ellison was drafted to back up Berg now that McNeil has a new home in Richmond.

Rnd 1 - Earl Thornton, WR, Arizona 

Rnd 1 - Ty Robbins, WR, Arizona State  

Rnd 2 - Morris Ellison, QB, Arizona State  

Rnd 3 - Bubba Linquist, C, Temple  

Rnd 4 - Ed Ferguson, CB, Texas Christian  

Rnd 5 - Timothy Meadows, LB, Prairie View A&M  

Rnd 6 - Malcolm Pearl, DT, Southern Methodist  

Rnd 7 - Dixon Gerrity, G, SW Missouri St.  

Post Draft Dealings: Damn the Salary Cap!

The salary cap was a huge factor for us this offseason. To open up some much-needed cap room, we sent Phil Singleton, our starting ROLB from last year, to Cleveland in exchange for their third round pick in 2013, thus saving ourselves $4.3 million against the cap. It was tough to send a starter away, but we were not confident that he could return to form after last season's knee injury. We saved another $1.52 million by releasing punter Lincoln Shah. WR Ricardo Dillon (plus a seventh round pick) was sent to Arizona for their fourth round pick in 2013, though some in the media questioned the intelligence of sending any help to our NFC East nemesis. However, we figured that Dillon wasn't a starter, and that we were saving $990,000. Backup guard Dale Westbrook was sent to Buffalo for their fourth round pick in 2013 (savings: $850,000). Backup QB Randall Collier was packaged with a sixth round pick and traded with Buffalo for their third round pick in 2013, saving us $670,000. Finally, to complete the trifecta, backup RB Donnie Videl was shipped to Buffalo in exchange for their fifth round pick in 2013, saving our team $850,000 in the process. Here's hoping the Bills have a really bad year so that we get some high draft picks in 2013!

With a little more money now available in the coffers, we extended free safety Dave Sanders' deal, giving him $13.39 million over 3 years with a $2.2 million bonus. Chuck Farley, fresh off of his 2nd Team nod in 2011, got $11.41 million over 3 years with a nice $2.2 million bonus.

Godzilla Blitz exacted just a little bit of revenge this offseason, as our only Golden Domer from 2011, WR Todd Smith, was not re-signed. Go find somewhere else to play, Todd, before we re-sign you and turn you into a lineman! - Thhhhhppppppttt!

[Kodos]

2012 Training Camp

We came out of camp with two pretty decent rookie receivers. Jacksonville was not so lucky, as linebacker Reggie Andrews busted in a big way! Dodged a bullet there, folks!

From the desk of Cory Wells of the Gatesville Silicon Pirates

  

  Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

  QB  Devin Bergeron               17          19       3   2014   

  QB  Deron Frye                    3           8       1   2018   

  QB  Morris Ellison                3          11       1   2014   

  RB  Michael Lazetti              13          13       5   2014   

  RB  Gabe Sims                     9          10       2   2013   

  RB  Cedric Horton                 8           9       2   2014   

  FB  Levon Wallace                14          14       4   2014   

  FB  Shaun Pieri                   6          10       1   2018   

  TE  Chuck Farley                 15          15       6   2014   

  TE  Leslie Wozniczka              8           9       3   2012   

  TE  Louie Hanson                  4           7       1   2018   

  WR  Earl Thornton                12          15       1   2016   

  WR  Ralph Randle                 10          11       2   2017   

  WR  Ty Robbins                    9          12       1   2016   

  WR  Rickey McGregor               8          10       3   2013   

  WR  Kyle Diaz                     6           6      11   2013   

  WR  Timothy Godfrey               3           5       1   2018   

   C  Jonathan Farmer              13          15       6   2013   

   C  Bubba Linquist               10          15       1   2014   

   C  Robbie Duncan                 9          12       2   2012   

   G  Rusty Pleasant               18          18       7   2015   

   G  Darren Cruise                13          15       9   2014   

   G  Jamie Bronson                 8          10       2   2013   

   G  Dixon Gerrity                 3          10       1   2013   

   T  Terrance Read                15          15       4   2013   

   T  James Pond                   14          14       8   2015   

   T  Johnnie Reed                  4           7       1   2018   

   P  Harris Everett               10          12       1   2018   

   K  Broderick Hidalgo            17          17       7   2012   

  DE  Les Money                     2           7       1   2018   

  DE  Peter Hickman                 2           4       1   2018   

  DE  Walter Ritter                 1           4       1   2018   

  DT  Joey Rhoades                 14          15       4   2015   

  DT  Eric Cash                     7           9       1   2018   

  DT  Cory Mallory                  7           8       1   2018   

  DT  Cary Bernstein                4           6       1   2018   

  DT  Eddie Cox                     3          10       1   2018   

  LB  Al Ingram                    14          14       9   2013   

  LB  Allen Whitfield              10          10      10   2013   

  LB  Lionel Von Oelhoffen          7           8       4   2012   

  LB  Timothy Meadows               4           8       1   2013   

  LB  Darrell Brady                 4           5       1   2018   

  LB  Ellis Lambeau                 4           8       1   2018   

  LB  Roosevelt Seider              2           7       1   2018   

  LB  Rico Hutton                   2           7       1   2018   

  CB  Joel Harden                  14          14       7   2014   

  CB  Edgar Justus                 10          14       2   2014   

  CB  Ed Ferguson                   4           9       1   2014   

  CB  Jerald Lichtenberg            4           7       1   2018   

  CB  Tyrell Rinehart               2           3       1   2018   

   S  Dave Sanders                 17          17       4   2014   

   S  Heath Bryant                  6           8       2   2012   

   S  Billy Joe Shannon             6           8       2   2013   

This year, we opted to do away with the Shotgun formation, instead concentrating on the I, Strong, Single Back, and Goaline formations. On defense, we focussed on the 4/3 and the nickel, with zone coverage getting a little more attention than man.

[Kodos]

2012 Season Ticket Sales

We sold 27,000 season tickets for the upcoming season, up from the 23,300 we sold in 2011. Baby steps...

[Kodos]

2012 Exhibition Season

We cruised through the exhibition season for three games without significant injuries. However, in game 4, James Pond strained his back and will likely miss 2-3 months. Center Jonathan Farmer bruised his shoulder and is questionable for game one of the regular season against Philadelphia. Second-year receiver Ralph Randle also broke his finger in our last pre-season game.

2012 Exhibtion Results

Week      Opponent                        Result    Attend    No-Shows  

Week 1    OPEN                              

Week 2    DES MOINES TIMBER WOLVES        W, 14-13  30,800    3,200       

Week 3    CINCINNATI BUNGLES              W, 36-7   33,300    4,900       

Week 4    Cleveland Browns                W, 19-10  61,600    4,000       

Week 5    Buffalo Bills                   L, 27-33  78,900    2,400       

2012 Exhibition Standings

Dallas once again proved that they are the kings of the exhibition season. And, of course, we all know how well that usually translates to success for them in the regular season!

 NFC East               W   L   T   Pct   PF    PA    Div     Conf  

Dallas                  3   1   0   .750  91    57    0-0-0   0-0-0     

**Gatesville            3   1   0   .750  96    63    0-0-0   0-0-0     

Philadelphia            3   1   0   .750  98    83    0-0-0   0-0-0     

Washington              2   2   0   .500  94    61    0-0-0   0-0-0     

Arizona                 1   3   0   .250  78    77    0-0-0   0-0-0     

Enough of this messin' around; Bring on the regular season!

[Kodos]

Originally posted by SuburbanPimp:


Yeah, it's time to ditch the college field for a new one.

Bring on Microsoft Stadium XP!

[Kodos]

Originally posted by revrew:


Did you notice your injuries occurred during the preseason game against the Bills? Perhaps they were headhunting after your comment about wishing them a bad season ...

[Kodos]

What a bunch of cheap-shot punks! They should get suspensions and some hefty fines!

[Kodos]

Originally posted by DataKing:


I friend of mine told me about this board a few days ago, and I must say that I have enjoyed my reading immensely. Major Kudos for Kodos. Big-time Kudos to Godzilla as well. "Poop on the Golden Domes" is one of the funniest things I have read in a long time.



I do have one question for you, Kodos. Your TE, Chuck Farley...his middle name wouldn't happen to be 'Ulysses' would it? Think about it.

Hint: Have you ever seen "Pump Up The Volume"?

Looking forward to the next installment.

[Kodos]

Thanks, DataKing, though I must admit one small thing: Your reference is lost on me! I did see "Pump Up The Volume," but it was long ago, and I don't remember much about it. The only thing I can think of is if you take the "Ch" from Chuck and switch it with the "F" from Farley, you end up with something similar to Puck Furdue (IU fans will understand this)? Anyhow, thanks for your support, and there should be more of the Bill Gates Challenge coming soon.

- Kodos

[Kodos]

Originally posted by DataKing:


You got it Kodos. Chuck U. Farley was the name the main character in Pump Up The Volume used to rent the P.O. Box. That just struck me as kind of funny when I saw Chuck Farley was your TE.

Anyway...no more obscure movie references. I'll just sit back and enjoy.

[Kodos]

2012 Regular Season Starting Lineups

Offensive Starters:

Our offense has better continuity than our defense right now, but both could benefit by staying together longer. We are going to make more of a concerted effort to build our cohesiveness from here on out. Our D-line has been a revolving door of one-year contracts in recent years.

QB - Devin Bergeron
RB - Michael Lazetti
FB - Levon Wallace
TE - Chuck U. Farley
FL - Earl Thornton (R)
SE - Ralph Randle
LT - Terrance Read
LG - Rusty Pleasant
C - Jonathan Farmer
RG - Darren Cruise
RT - James Pond

Defensive Starters:

LE - Cory Mallory (R)
NT - Joey Rhoades
RT - Eric Cash (R)
RE - Cary Bernstein (R)
WOLB - Lionel Von Oelhoffen
WILB - Allen Whitfield
SILB - Timothy Meadows (R)
SOLB - Al Ingram
LCB - Joel Harden
RCB - Edgar Justus
FS - Dave Sanders
SS - Billy Joe Shannon

Will this be the group that leads us to the championship that we have coveted for so long? Only time will tell...

[Kodos]

Week 1
Philadelphia (0-0) at Gatesville (0-0)
=============================================

Attendance: 42,200

Inactives:

Starting LT James Pond and SE Ralph Randle were inactive for this game.

Game Summary

After going three-and-out on our first drive, Berg hit the rookie receiver Earl Thornton for a 10-yard TD, and we were up 7-0. Three minutes later, they hooked up again, this time for 7 yards, and we lead 14-0. In the second quarter, Berg tossed his third touchdown of the day to Levon Wallace, and I began to smell a blowout.

After leading 31-0 at the half, we eased up on the Eagles a bit, but still won easily enough, 34-17.

Key Performers

Berg started off the 2012 campaign on a good note, going 20 of 31 for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns en route to the earning the Game MVP award.

Lazetti did not have a banner day, carrying the ball 17 times for as many yards. Needless to say, his fantasy football owners were overjoyed. Berg, in contrast, earned 12 more rushing yards on 10 fewer carries.

Earl Thornton had a wonderful NFL debut, catching 6 balls for 102 yards and 2 scores.

Joey Rhoades recorded two-and-one-half sacks and one tackle.

New Injuries

Starting WILB Allen Whitfield suffered a dislocated shoulder and will miss 3 to 5 weeks of action.

Starting center Jonathan Farmer bruised his shoulder and should be fine in a couple weeks.


=============================================
Dallas (0-0) at St. Louis (0-0)

The Rams crushed Dallas 31-6 to get the Cowboys' season started off on the right foot.


=============================================
Playoff Picture:

After one week of play, Dallas has officially been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention...

[Kodos]

Week 2
Chicago (1-0) at Gatesville (1-0)
=============================================

Attendance: 43,900

Inactives

Allen Whitfield joined James Pond on the inactive list for week 2, with rookie Timothy Meadows taking Whitfield's spot at WILB. Ralph Randle is back from his broken finger, and will get the start at split end.

Game Summary

We opened the game with a drive that ended in a 28-yard touchdown reception by Ty Robbins, his first score as a pro. Our second drive didn't go as well, as Berg threw his first interception of 2012, which set up a Bear field goal.

In the second quarter, Lazetti put the ball on the ground, leading to another Bear field goal. With a chance to extend the lead before the half, Hidalgo missed a short field goal, and our lead remained just 7-6.

Most of the third quarter passed without any scoring, until Tee Martin hit Phil Stanton for a 32-yard touchdown. The 2 point conversion attempt failed, so the score was 12-7.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Bears struck again, with Martin connecting this time with T.J. Jannot for an 11 yarder that made it 19-7. When Chicago extended the lead to 22-7 with a 50-yard field goal, the fans started heading for the exits, and the Bears eventually handed us our first loss of 2012, by the score of 22-7.

Key Performers

Lazetti had a better outing than in week 1, but still managed just 64 yards on 12 carries, with one fumble thrown in to boot.

Berg did not have a good day either, completing just 18 of 43 passes for 230 yards, 1 TD, and 2 interceptions.

Rookie WR Ty Robbins had a good game, making 5 grabs for 93 yards and a touchdown.

New Injuries

The loss proved to be costly in more than one way, as our all-pro cornerback Joel Harden went down with a bruised sternum and won't return for 2 to 3 months.

Cedric Horton, our backup RB, suffered a torn thumb ligament, and will also miss 2 to 3 months. Sadly, we don't have any salary cap room left to get a replacement, so he will have to stay on our active roster as the third-string RB.

Rookie DT Eric Cash has shoulder-tendinitis, further weakening our already sad defensive line.


=============================================
Cincinatti (0-1) at Dallas (0-1)

The Bungles managed to squeak by the Cowboys, but only by the score of 23-20. A loss is a loss though!